科学家们在深海钻孔工程86号钻孔中,首次采集了红土样——一种细粒物质。他们认为太平洋底百分之五十的沉积物就是由这种细粒物质组成的。由于粘土中缺乏可以相互对比的不同地质历史时期和事件的微化石,因而直到最近,地质学家仍很少利用这种粘土。斯克里普斯海洋研究所的帕特·多伊尔正在从事发展一种使用鱼骨碎片(包括牙齿)分析海底粘土 For the first time, scientists collected deep-soil samples - a fine-grained material - from Deep Hole Drilling Project No. 86. They believe that 50% of the bottom sediments of the Pacific Ocean consist of this fine-grained material. Because of the lack of micro-fossils in clay that can be compared with each other in different geological history and events, so far, geologists have seldom used the clay. Pat Doyle of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography is working on the development of a method of analyzing submarine clays using fish bone fragments, including teeth